MUSC 136

Succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity

Distance and relationship between two pitches

Musical unit; often a component of a melody

The controlled movement of music in time

Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, noted as measures

Last beat of a measure, a weak beat, which anticipates the downbeat

Basic metrical pattern of three beats to a measure

Meter in which each beat is subdivided into three rather than two

Music lacking a strong sense of beat or meter, common in certain non-Western cultures

Simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony

Concordant or harmonious combination of tones that provides a sense of relation and stability in music

Common chord type, consisting of three pitches built on alternate tones of the scale (e.g. 1-3-5 or do-mi-so)

Interval consisting of two half steps or semi-tones

Musical symbol that indicates raising a pitch by a semi-tone

Scale consisting of seven different tones that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half-steps. It differs from the major scale primarily in that its third degree is lowered half a step.

Small alternation of the pitch by a microtonal interval

Fourth scale step, fa

AKA "bridge" - transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition

The art of combining in a single texture two or more melodic lines

Perpetual canon at the unison in which each voice enters in succession with the same melody (for example, Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

The compositional procedure of altering a pre-existing musical idea

Three part (A-B-A) form based on a statement (A), contrast or departure (B), and repetition (A). Also, three-part form

Restatement of an idea or motive at a different pitch level

A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern that is repeated throughout a work or a section of one

Smooth and connected; opposite of staccato

Rapid slide through pitches of a scale

Mechanical device used to muffle the sound of an instrument

Person who, by means of gestures, leads performances of musical ensembles, especially orchestra, bands, or choruses

General term describing the standard category and overall character of a work

Nonreligious music; when texted, usually in the vernacular

Distance between the lowest and highest tones of a melody, and instrument, or a voice

Smooth, connected melody that moves principally by small intervals

Resting place in a musical phrase; music punctuation

Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time

Rhythmic group or metrical unit that contains a fixed number of beats, divided on the musical staff by bar lines

A weak beat or any pulse between the beats in a measured rhythmic pattern

Basic metrical pattern of four beats to a measure. Also common time

Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse through a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an offbeat

The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords

Series of tones in ascending or descending order; may present the notes of a key

The first note of the scale or key, do. Also keynote

Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution

Melody or harmony built from the seven tones of a major or minor scale. A diatonic scale encompasses patterns of seven whole tones and semitones.

Musical symbol that indicates lowering a pitch by a semitone

Five-note pattern used in some African, Far Eastern, and Native American musics; can also be found in Western music as an example of exoticism

Defines the relationship of tones with a common center or tonic

The interweaving of melodic (horizontal) and harmonic (vertical) elements in musical fabric

Texture with principle melody and accompanying harmony

Melodic idea presented in one voice and then restated in another, each part continuing as others enter

Structure and design in music; based on repetition, contrast, and variation; the organizing principle of music

Creation of musical composition while it is being performed, seen in Baroque ornamentation, cadenzas of concertos, jazz, and some non-Western musics

Melodic idea used as a basic building block in the construction of a composition

SHort melodic or rhythmic idea; the smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-harmonic-rhythmic unit

Complete, self-contained part within a larger musical work

Short, detached notes, marked with a dot above them

Rapid repetition of a tone; can be achieved instrumentally or vocally

Broken chord in which the individual tones are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously

A thin stick, usually painted white, used by conductors

Characteristic manner of presentation of musical elements (melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, form, etc)

A number, often part of the title of a piece, designating the work in chronological relationship to other works by the same composer

The overall shape of a melodic line. It can move upward, downward, or remain static

Disjointed or disconnected melody with many leaps

The high point in a melodic line or piece of music, usually representing the peak of intensity, range, and dynamics

The emphasis on a beat resulting in its being louder or longer than another in a measure

First beat of the measure, the strongest in any meter

Basic metrical pattern of two beats to a measure

Grouping of rhythms in which the beat is subdivided into two, as in duple, triple, and quadruple meters

The simultaneous use of several rhythmic patterns or meters, common in twentieth-century music and in certain African musics

Distance and relationship between two pitches

Interval between two tones seven diatonic pitches apart; the lower note vibrates half as fast as the upper and sounds an octave lower

Principle of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale

Smallest interval used in the Western system; the octave divides into twelve such intervals; on the piano, the distance between any two adjacent keys, whether black or white.

Melody or harmony built from many if not all twelve semitones of the octave. A chromatic scale consists of an ascending or descending sequence of semitones

Scale consisting of seven different tones that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps. It differs from a minor scale primarily in that its third degree is raised half a step.

Musical interval smaller than a semitone, prevalent in some non-Western musics and in some twentieth-century art music

The fifth scale step, sol

The process of changing from one key to another

Single-line texture, or melody without accompaniment

Texture in which all voices, or lines, move together in the same rhythm

Type of polyphonic composition in which one musical line strictly imitates another at a fixed distance throughout

Song structure in which the same music is repeated with every stanza of the poem

Two part (A-B) form with each section normally repeated

Musical expansion of a theme by varying its melodic outline, harmony, or rhythm

Singing, especially in Gregorian chant, in which a soloist or a group of soloists alternates with the choir; performance style with a singing leader who is imitated by a chorus of followers

Small fluctuation of pitch used as an expressive device to intensify a sound

Performance direction to pluck a string of a bowed instrument with the finger

Playing 2/3/4 notes simultaneously on a string instrument

The placement of the lips, lower facial muscles, and jaws in playing a wind instrument

Religious or spiritual music, for church or devotional use

Two or more melodic lines combined into a multi-voiced texture